Interview With a Compassion Child Development Center Coordinator

Our Child Development Center Coordinators fulfill many daily responsibilities to serve the children in our ministry.

Godfred Abbey is the center coordinator at Manheam New Life Child Development Center in Ghana. He plays an important role in the lives of sponsored children.

What influenced your decision to work at Compassion?

First of all, I was attracted to Compassion because of the child-focused mission. I love children with a passion. I worked as a teacher for close to 15 years, and I have felt what joy comes from working with children.

I did not hesitate to apply for the job when my church went into partnership with Compassion and it was announced that qualified people were needed for the child development center. I wanted to be a part of the people who would impact children to grow into becoming fulfilled and responsible adults.

Above all, I was really motivated to quit my job and to take up this role in the ministry because it is a Christ-centered and church-based organization. I wanted to serve Christ with all I have. I felt that there would be so much peace and harmony.

Where do you get the daily spiritual motivation to carry on working with children in poverty?

I am motivated by the joy in my heart to be serving my Creator by serving these needy children.

I am motivated by the joy I always feel in my heart in the middle of personal family challenges.

I am motivated by the positive transformations I see coming up in the children.

I am motivated by the hope and joy I see on the faces of the children when they gather at the child development center site every Saturday, and I know that these things that I feel, these things that I see and am motivated by, are from God.

And I get motivated by His Word in 1 Peter 5:2-4.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being an example to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (NIV)

Do you think that Compassion would still be where it is now if it wasn’t Christ centered and church based?

This ministry would not have been able to reach this height in just a few decades of existence. There are other child development organizations far older than Compassion that have yet to achieve half of what Compassion International has been able to do.

I believe that we must give the glory to Jesus because He has done it all. I also believe that because our ministry targets the local church as the channel for ministry, it has contributed immensely to the organization’s success because it is the Church’s mandate to give light, hope, joy, peace and redemption to those in need, and we work solely with the local church.

Have you come face-to-face with a situation in your work with children in need in which, if it had not been for Christ, the story would have been different?

Every aspect of what we do here at the church and at the child development center with these children has been by the grace of God. I do not have any specific testimony to give because every child in the program is a testimony.

When we started the program, many children came with many sicknesses and real life-threatening health conditions, but today these children are all free and healthy.

Some children came here with violent behaviors. They would fight at the least provocation. Today these children can say “sorry,” “thank you” and “please.”

Most of the children were hopeless, but with Christ, they have something to look to the future for. Some of them were not in school; [now] they are in school. They can read and are able to write their own letters to their sponsors.

I know that it is only God who has worked in these children.

What is your favorite part of your current role?

As a child development center coordinator, I have many volunteer teachers, so I need not go to the classroom to teach the children but I do because I love teaching. I am overjoyed when I teach the children something and they get it and put those things into practice.

What is your philosophy in life?

If you will not do what you have to do with all your heart and might, do not do it.

It is my policy to tackle everything I do with full attention, dedication and with all my heart. I do not like working with people who grumble and murmur at their work.